Hasbro to offer replica of 1979 Boba Fett giveaway figure

Like many a “Star Wars” fan who grew up with original trilogy films and original Kenner action figures, I too remember the infamous 1979 giveaway for a Boba Fett figure with spring-loaded backpack rocket, only to see the offer scuttled because said toy projectile posed a choking hazard. As the Official “Star Wars” Blog notes, the mail-away Boba had the missile permanently stuck in its backpack just before release, leaving just a few prototypes in the wild with the controversial feature.

Fast-forward to 2010 and the 30th anniversary year of “The Empire Strikes Back,” which gave us the original big-screen debut of the Mandalorian bounty hunter. This fall, Hasbro will offer a special rocket-firing replica of the 1979 mail-away Boba Fett with the purchase of five specially-marked figures.

That’s an officially licensed rocket-firing Boba Fett that’s a veritable clone of arguably the most coveted “Star Wars” action figure in the history of ever. (Eat it, vinyl-caped Jawa.) Look, I’m trying to be professional here, so just imagine these sentences punctuated with long strings of exclamation points. That said, booyah!

Here’s a Flickr link with pics of the figure and other forthcoming Fett goodies like a role-play blaster and helmet. My apologies for the jawdrops.